Banana shortage strikes New Zealand’s major supermarket chains

Delays of a shipment of bananas from Mexico and Ecuador have left some Countdown supermarkets in New Zealand low on this popular fruit.

A Countdown spokesperson stated that a shipping route change is to blame, putting pressure on how many bananas the supermarket chain has in stock. "We're currently working on sourcing some additional bananas and apologise to our customers for any inconvenience."

Research from Statistics New Zealand reveals that New Zealanders spend more on bananas than any other fruit, getting through 18 kg of them per person per year, or roughly two bananas a week.

A spokesperson for Foodstuffs said their stores are also suffering from the delayed shipment: "Banana supplies are short right now due to unforeseen shipping issues, but the good news is we expect supply to be back to normal by the end of the month.”

"We know how much our shoppers love bananas and while we wait for supplies to stabilise, there are some other delicious in-season fruits such as juicy California grapes, NZ navel oranges, NZ apples and Australian Afourer mandarins, that are sure to satisfy shoppers’ fruit fix."